More jobs

Well, if all goes smoothly, our electrician should be starting work at the end of this month and before we know it, we will have plug sockets which are a) convenient and b) useable and we won't have to switch on the Bakelite light switch under the stairs for the hall light switch to work. 

Speaking of under the stairs, first impressions were of something akin to the black hole of Calcutta. We had talked of putting a cloakroom there, just a toilet and wash hand basin but hadn't really planned to do it any time soon. However, the eighties bathroom seemed to be begging to be updated and the ensuite to be removed altogether, so we thought it might be a good idea to bite the bullet and do it all.

When I say do it all, we have a plumber waiting in the wings, with attendant tiler, so they will take care of the bathroom and, hopefully the ensuite, but apart from dealing with the plumbing bits, Keith has decided to undertake the downstairs toilet himself.

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For some reason it had an extra wide doorway and a bi-fold door so the plan was to replace that with a normal doorway and door. However, Keith then decided that the 'wall' under the stairs, which would form the side wall of the toilet, needed replacing.

So that has been our main occupation over the past week, plus buying and putting up a small garden shed because, although Keith now has an office AND a whole garage, there is no room for my garden tools, lawnmower, strimmer etc. (I know! Unbelievable!)

One reason Keith decided to start work on the understairs toilet was that the stairs were creaking - a lot. His plan was to have me walking up and down the stairs so that he could pinpoint the worst areas and then squirt glue in, helped by a few screws where needed. This was eventually what he did, but only after he had discovered that whoever had installed the extra wide doorway had been able to do so only by sawing off the top newel post just above the doorway.

Yes, instead of the door frame and post supporting the top stairs, it appeared that the stairs were supporting the door frame and post. Visions of us abseiling up to bed that night danced through my brain but fortunately, it didn't come to that and Keith was able to remedy the situation.

The man deserves a medal!

Instead, I treated him to - an angle grinder. Doesn't everyone want one?